Ground-breaking research at new clinical facility

31 January 2002

The latest Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility was opened at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge on 31 January 2002 by Secretary of State for Health, Mr Alan Milburn. This state-of-the-art research facility will host a series of ground-breaking studies and will help the Trust to fulfil its aim of working in partnership in order to turn research into high quality patient care.

The facility is one of five being established as part of a £20m initiative by the Wellcome Trust, one of the world's largest biomedical research charities, in collaboration with NHS hospitals and University Medical Schools. The scheme aims to take research from the laboratory to the bedside in order to translate new knowledge into patient care. There are already 31 studies underway at the Addenbrooke's facility, with many more planned for the future.

This £3.5m development forms an integral part of the 2020 Vision. This is Addenbrooke's long-term plan for the future of the site, which focuses on developing entrepreneurial partnerships in order to establish the hospital as the country's leading biomedical campus. This new facility exemplifies the partnership needed between the University, research funders and the NHS, to enable research on patients, and to apply the revolutionary advances in medical science to clinical practice. By working collaboratively with organisations such as the Wellcome Trust, Addenbrooke's is looking to the twenty first century and beyond.

Studies currently being undertaken there include:

•The role of genetic factors in the development of severe childhood obesity

•Trials of prevention of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle alterations in family members at risk of the disease

•A study of bone protection for stroke victims, are at greater risk of hip fracture and death from falls

The Wellcome Trust has provided funding to build and equip the new unit, which occupies Level 5 of the Addenbrooke's Centre for Clinical Investigation (ACCI). The Centre was constructed following a strategic decision by the healthcare company SmithKline Beecham, now GlaxoSmithKline, to establish a hospital-based clinical research centre. Funding for staffing and basic running costs comes from the NHS Research and Development stream provided to Addenbrooke's NHS trust. Scientific direction is provided by senior researchers from the University in collaboration with members of Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, supported by grants from the Medical Research Council, The Wellcome Trust and other medical charities.

Mr Milburn said : "These are absolutely fabulous facilities which do credit to the parties involved. We should remember there are good things going on in the National Health Service and this is certainly one of them."

Dr. Mike Dexter, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said: "Clinical research is a vital part of our overall strategy to turn scientific discovery into real health benefits. We hope that our investment in these facilities will provide a catalyst to develop a strong national network of units dedicated to patient-oriented research.

"Our colleagues at Cambridge are undertaking many exciting studies which will help transform the lives of many people suffering from a range of crippling diseases. This is an excellent example of science and medicine working hand in hand."

"Building this area of our health service will help keep the UK at the leading edge of world research. Other countries are forging ahead with clinical research and we must keep up. This new partnership between the Wellcome Trust, the NHS and university researchers can make the revival of this work in the UK a reality."

The Department of Health has backed the Wellcome Trust scheme by committing £4.47m up to March 2002 to clinical research studies being carried out in these centres.

Professor Stephen O'Rahilly from Addenbrooke's said: "Cambridge has long been a world-leading centre for basic scientific research. The provision of state of the art facilities for clinical research at Addenbrooke's Hospital will fuel the translation of basic research into real benefits for the understanding, treatment and prevention of human disease."

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For further information or to set up an interview please contact:
Natalie Fowle, Press Officer on Tel: 01223 274433

Communications Department,
Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ
Tel: 01223 274433 Fax: 01223 257143
www.addenbrookes.org.uk

Notes to Editors

About the launch of the Research Facility at Addenbrooke's:

• Limited photo and interview opportunities will be available on 31 January 2002. For a full programme of press opportunities, please call Natalie Fowle on 01223 274433. Press places will be limited, so please call in advance to book a place.

• Professor Stephen O'Rahilly from Addenbrooke's will be available for pre launch interviews between 1500 hours and 1600 hours on Monday 29 January 2002. To book an interview, please call Natalie Fowle on 01223 27 4433.

About the new Research Facilities:

• The new Addenbrooke's research facility contains eight, fully nursed, in-patient bedrooms and three consulting rooms adjacent to state-of-the-art research facilities for the measurement of body composition, energy balance and exercise performance. Facilities for tissue culture, ultrasonography and ophthalmology are also available. Patients will be able to spend just a few hours or several days in the unit.

• The first Clinical Research Facility was opened by Her Majesty the Queen at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh last July. A second was opened at Southampton in December and the third in Birmingham on January 29th. The last will be launched in Manchester later this year.

About the Wellcome Trust:

• The Wellcome Trust is an independent research-funding charity, established under the will of Sir Henry Wellcome in 1936. It is funded from a private endowment, which is managed with long-term stability and growth in mind.

• The Trust's mission is to promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health.